The stop motion is always on point. Impressive, when you think about how much time goes into it.

If you work really hard, you can probably scrape together some respect for the production, but that might be the only feeling you can evoke. The voice acting isn't great, and not just because the original actors are missing. There's a strange disconnect between the animation and the acting, it feels insincere and forced.

The story is nothing new, and it should have been. It should have broke new ground just as the original did. It really feels like they put no effort into creating an original plot and just clung to the coat tales of the first film. Seems like a bad choice.

I want to write something positive about it but I don't really know what that could be. I guess Bella Ramsey was good casting. I'm only giving it 5 stars because I appreciate the time it takes to make stop motion.

I admit to having a soft spot for the original CHICKEN RUN. It's a family favourite around these parts, and one which holds up to repeat viewing today. This sequel, made without the involvement of Nick Park, feels like a cheap Hollywood cash-in and can't be mentioned in the same breath. The absence of Park and the ludicrous recasting of Julia Sawalha in particular didn't bode well for it, and Newton and Levi are both as bland as you'd expect. Where this really falls apart, though, is in the shallowness of the plot. It's one of those sequels where everything's bigger and fancier, but the humour falls flat and the non-stop action soon wears thin.